Conversation around vaccines has become commonplace amongst the public now, either via heated debates on Facebook or via the ubiquitous reminders by physicians and health care providers to vaccinate for the annual flu season. Yet, for much of the Millennial and Generation Z population, vaccines are more of a routine checklist item than an actual life-saving medical technology. Most of these people have not had to experience the tragedy of witnessing a close relative or friend deteriorate under the influence of the polio virus. This has largely been due to the widespread use of the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and the oral polio vaccine (OPV), which have reduced the number of worldwide polio cases to an astonishingly low 330, according to the Polio Global Eradication Initiative. In fact, the once widespread polio is now one of the few diseases that is closest to being eradicated in the world right now, which is an amazing feat of human innovation and dedication.
Yet, researchers are still working around the clock to make sure that once the number of polio patients finally reaches zero, there are no resurgences. Due to possible mutations in the live viruses of OPV, vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs) could cause problems even if the wild type poliovirus is eradicated. Ironically, there are more polio cases due to VDPVs than wild-type polioviruses; the solution has merely led to greater problems. As a result, efforts are being made to phase out OPV in favor of IPV, but this means that a large increase in IPVs will be needed, as many countries routinely vaccinate with OPV. Thus, even though polio is nearly a closed case, its end surprisingly presents vast opportunities for innovation and competition. It’s reassuring to see that, even though this disease currently affects so few people, that such significant efforts are still being made to see its finale through all the way.
It is also interesting to note that in the conversation on vaccines, the successful efforts regarding the near eradication of polio due to its vaccine is nowhere to be seen. In vaccine debates against anti-vaxxers, the efficacy of the polio vaccine isn’t used as a strong point of support for vaccines, which is detrimental to scientific communication. After all, a large portion of the idea behind vaccines is not only to grant immunity to the individual, but to immunize the entire population, thereby eradicating the root of the issue by herd immunity. Yet, much of the vaccine discussion hinges on the content of the vaccines rather than their efficacy. Perhaps it is precisely because of polio’s scarcity that it is rarely talked about in the vaccine conversation, relegated to the realm of irrelevancy. Nevertheless, whether in the public eye or not, the polio vaccine has contributed greatly to a fight that will, hopefully within the next decade, reach resolution.
Is Cereal a Soup 